Revolution Café opens in King Street Ramsgate

I did pop in here for a snack lunch today, which was very good, I don’t usually eat in cafés this close to my bookshop as I either get something at home or go for a walk while eating a filled roll.

I am curious about any politically motivated business, rather in the way I was curious about the politically motivated bookshops that sprung up in the UK, mostly in the 60s and 70s.

Anyway I tried to work out exactly what this cafe is about politically, but didn't get very far, I made a few politically incorrect statements and and so on, basically it is a very pleasant place with a good atmosphere.     

I only had an hour so the sketch was pretty awful, talking to people, sketching, drinking a large pot of tea and eating mushrooms on toast is difficult in this amount of time and it is the art that suffers.

What is noticeable is the substantial investment in the building and equipment, it seems to be funded by The Reality Party http://www.eastkentrealityparty.co.uk/ and https://www.facebook.com/EKRealityP?fref=ts   

Something that I am sort of getting my head around is that the political situation in Thanet related to the general election, seems to be based on problems related to Thanet District Council, that is either the reality of how bad the council has been over the last twenty years or so, or people’s perception of how bad the council has been.

I guess this peaked when the council’s leader went off to prison for fraud, but the perception of the council is still very bad, the departures of senior officers being the most recent symptom of this.

Various fringe parties seem to see a unitary authority as being the solution to this one and I guess that unless Thanet council taxpayers are going to fund all the roads here, Turner Contemporary and the QEQM hospital then this would mean making a unitary authority of several district councils, probably Dover, Canterbury and Thanet.

Broaching this with various councillors over the years, the Labour councillors seem to be saying that Dover is game but Canterbury not, while the Conservative councillors seem to be saying that Canterbury in game but Dover is not. This leaves me thinking that Canterbury may not be to keen to get into bed with Dover and vice versa.

I don’t quite see how the way we vote in terms of an MP is supposed to help create a unitary, in fact I don’t really think there is much the electorate can do towards creating a unitary. The only thing the electorate can realistically do it to change the leadership of TDC, from the situation we have now where councillors chose the leader to one where we the electorate choose the leader by voting.

What I am not getting in this election much is vote for me – him – her because they are a fantastic candidate and if they become MP – councillor – cabinet member, they will make these fantastic improvements to Thanet – Ramsgate – Thanet South.

I am getting a fair amount of vote for me – him – her to keep UKIP – Labour – The Tories out, because the are dreadful.

I am also getting a fair amount of, vote for vote for me – him – her, to get rid of TDC – KCC, which I don’t really understand.